BBC Journalist Sara Thorntron confirms Novak Djokovic was actually ‘booed’ by “absolute je*ks” in the Wimbledon crowd

Djokovic is into his 60th Grand Slam quarterfinals after beating Holger Rune in the Round of 16.

BBC Journalist Sara Thorntron confirms Novak Djokovic was actually ‘booed’ by “absolute je*ks” in the Wimbledon crowd

Novak Djokovic and Sara Thorntron via Imago

Novak Djokovic was booed during his fourth-round match against Danish Holger Rune at the Wimbledon Championships. Though some fans believed he was not booed but were rather cheering for Rune. However, BBC reporter Sara Thornton has quashed those claims and confirmed the disrespectful behavior Djokovic faced in the match.

While it was not the first time that Djokovic has been booed by fans, the disrespect he faced on Center Court really irked him. He did however channel that anger to beat Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

YouTube video

On several occasions during the match, Djokovic showed how upset he was with the fans and sometimes even gave them a piece of his mind. It was the fourth time the 37-year-old was playing on Centre Court and wasn’t the first time he faced hostility.

FS Video

However, some fans believed that Djokovic was not booed and stated that the crowd was just cheering for Rune. Thornton, who was present in the stands on Centre Court, took t o social media to confirm that the crowd did in fact boo the former World No. 1.

As I sat on Centre Court I thought there were some absolute jerks in the crowd booing Novak #Djokovic using the disguise of the name Rune… and sadly it became infectious. But as a tennis fan, I’d say that was far outweighed by those delighting in the skillful play on both sides.

Sara Thorntron said on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Earlier, Rune also disagreed with Djokovic and said that the fans were cheering for him a lot during the match.

Novak Djokovic defended his reaction to the Wimbledon crowd’s disrespectful behavior

After the match, Novak Djokovic defended his stance against the crowd’s disrespectful behavior at Wimbledon. He was upset by the fans and sometimes responded by reacting in between sets throughout his fourth-round match against Holger Rune.

The World No. 2 later lashed at the crowd during his press conference, stating that they had the freedom to back any player in the match but not in a disrespectful manner.

Novak Djokovic gesturing towards the spectators who are booing him in his men's singles match against Holger Rune
Novak Djokovic (Via Imago)

It’s solely up to them. It’s fully understandable. They have the freedom to choose who they are back in the match. If someone steps over the line, I react. That’s basically what it was. After the match I said what I said.

Novak Djokovic said

The 24-time Grand Slam champion will face Australian Alex de Minaur for a place in the semifinals. He currently leads the Aussie 2-1 in their head-to-head.

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